1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a computer, and more particularly, to a computer having automatic answering functions, and also a method of processing automatic answering.
2. Related Art
A modem currently used for a computer system has many functions such as a modulation and a demodulation process to convert digital signals used in the computer system to analog signals and transfer the converted signals via a communications line such as a telephone line. The modem also has a dialing function to an apparatus at a remote place, a data compression and decompression function, and a transmission error correcting function. Particularly, a communications service program regarding a telephone and a facsimile has been actively developed among the diverse functions of the modem.
However, the computer communications service related to the telephone and facsimile does not currently provide an automatic answering function with an easy to use and convenient user interface as in an ordinary telephone. Also, when a message is left in the absence of a user, the user is not automatically notified of the presence of the message unless the user checks the message using a receiving confirmation program. Further, when the computer is turned off, one must turn on the computer to check whether a message is left.
I have found that it can be extremely inconvenient for a user to utilize a computer for certain telephone-related functions. Efforts have been made to interface computers with telephone communication lines.
Exemplars of recent efforts in the art include U.S. Pat. No. 5,942,986 for SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR AUTOMATIC CRITICAL EVENT NOTIFICATION issued to Shabot et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,832,062 for AUTOMATED VOICE MAIL/ANSWERING MACHINE GREETING SYSTEM issued to Drake, U.S. Pat. No. 5,761,644 for ELECTRONIC SECRETARY SYSTEM WITH ANIMATED SECRETARY CHARACTER ISSUED to Ueda et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,758,081 for COMPUTER AND COMMUNICATIONS TRANSMITTING, RECEIVING SYSTEM, WITH A PUSH BUTTON INTERFACE, THAT IS CONTINUOUSLY ON, THAT PAIRS UP WITH A PERSONAL COMPUTER AND CARRIES OUT MAINLY COMMUNICATIONS RELATED ROUTINE TASKS issued to Aytac, U.S. Pat. No.5,590,339 for INPUT DEVICE INTERFACE WITH POWER CONNECT STATE AND SERIAL DATA CHANNEL ENABLING POWER TO THE DEVICE FROM TIME TO TIME issued to Chang, U.S. Pat. No. 5,530,894 for ADAPTER FOR INTERFACING A COMPUTER TO A MULTICHANNEL DIGITAL NETWORK, WITH PORT FOR A TELEPHONE issued to Farrell et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,036,534 for AUTOMATIC ANSWERING SYSTEMS, AND METHOD OF USING issued to Gural, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,578,537 for TELECOMMUNICATION APPARATUS SERVING AS AN INTERFACE BETWEEN A DIGITAL COMPUTER AND AN ANALOG COMMUNICATION MEDIUM issued to Faggin et al.
While these recent efforts provide advantages, I note that they fail to adequately provide a computer having automatic telephone answering functions and a method of processing automatic telephone answering.
To solve the above problems, it is an objective of the present invention to provide a computer having an automatic answering state displaying and processing function which provides a convenient user interface by displaying a state when there is a received message according to an automatic answering preferences and allowing the user to confirm the message by pressing a telephone button regardless of whether the computer is turned on or off.
Also, it is another objective of the present invention to provide a method of processing automatic answering in a computer system.
Accordingly, to achieve the above objective, there is provided a computer having automatic answering state displaying and processing functions, which comprises: an automatic answering setting unit for outputting an automatic answering guide message, preset by a user, for when a telephone call from the outside is received through a modem; means for storing a predetermined received message from the outside according to the automatic answering guide message; means for displaying that there is the received message in response to a display signal; a telephone button for generating an answering confirmation signal when the user notices the display means and presses the telephone button; a microcomputer for generating the display signal to control the display means, if there is the received message, and detecting the answering confirmation signal generated from the telephone button; and an automatic answering processing unit for informing the microcomputer that the received message is stored in the storage means and informing the user of the received message from the storage means according to the answering confirmation signal transmitted through the microcomputer.
Also, to achieve the other object of the present invention, there is provided a method of processing automatic answering in a computer system having a predetermined display means and a predetermined telephone button on the front surface of a computer main body, which comprises the steps of: (A) setting automatic answering by receiving an automatic answering guide message from a user; (B) if a telephone call from the outside is connected, transmitting the preset automatic answering guide message; (C) if a predetermined received message is received from the outside according to the automatic answering message, storing the received message and indicating using the display means that a stored message exists; and (D) if the user notices the display means and presses the telephone button, informing the user of the received message.
To achieve these and other objects in accordance with the principles of the present invention, as embodied and broadly described, the present invention provides an apparatus, comprising: a computer unit having a processor processing data and having a modem modulating and demodulating signals; a first unit outputting first instructions when a telephone message is received through said modem; a second unit storing said received telephone message in accordance with said first instructions; a third unit being emitting a notification signal in response to a display signal when said received telephone message is stored; a telephone switch generating an answering signal when a user manipulates said telephone switch, the user manipulating said telephone switch in response to receiving said notification signal from said third unit; a microcomputer generating said display signal to control said third unit when said received telephone message is stored, and detecting said answering signal generated from said telephone switch; and a fourth unit sending first data to said microcomputer when said received telephone message is stored in said second unit, said fourth unit outputting said received telephone message stored in said second unit to the user in response to said answering signal transmitted through said microcomputer. The received telephone message can correspond to a telephone call received from an external source.
To achieve these and other objects in accordance with the principles of the present invention, as embodied and broadly described, the present invention provides a computer apparatus having automatic answering displaying and processing functions, comprising: a first unit outputting first instructions when a telephone message is received through a modem, said first instructions being preset by a user; a second unit storing said received telephone message in accordance with said first instructions; a third unit being emitting a notification signal in response to a display signal when said received telephone message is stored; a switch generating an answering signal when a user manipulates said switch, the user manipulating said switch when the user receives said notification signal; a microcomputer generating said display signal to control said third unit when said received telephone message is stored, and detecting said answering signal generated from said telephone switch; and a fourth unit notifying said microcomputer when said received telephone message is stored in said second unit, said fourth unit outputting said received telephone message stored in said second unit to the user in response to said answering signal transmitted through said microcomputer; said microcomputer restoring said computer apparatus to a normal power-on mode when said telephone message is received through said modem while said computer apparatus is in a power mode selected from among a power-save mode and a power-off mode.
To achieve these and other objects in accordance with the principles of the present invention, as embodied and broadly described, the present invention provides a method of processing automatic answering in a computer system having a predetermined display unit and a predetermined telephone button on a front surface of a computer main body, said method comprising the steps of: setting automatic answering by receiving an automatic answering guide message from a user; when a telephone call from an external source is connected, transmitting said preset automatic answering guide message; when a received message is received from the external source according to said automatic answering guide message, storing said received message and indicating that a stored message exists through said display unit; and when the user observes said display unit and presses said telephone button, informing the user of said received message.
The present invention is more specifically described in the following paragraphs by reference to the drawings attached only by way of example. Other advantages and features will become apparent from the following description and from the claims.